Top 5 Up And Coming Companies To Own For 2014

dapd/AP NEW YORK -- JPMorgan Chase and U.S. government officials have agreed on terms of a $4 billion consumer relief package that is to be part of a $13 billion deal to settle the bank's liability to government agencies over mortgage securities, according to a person familiar with the matter. The $4 billion portion of the deal would pay for write-downs of mortgage loans, demolition in blighted areas and lower monthly payments for homeowners, the person said Monday. Shaun Donovan, secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development, was involved with the negotiations which have come under the umbrella of a broader settlement between the bank and the U.S. Department of Justice, the person said. Of the $4 billion, about $1.5 billion is to be earmarked for write-downs of loans that exceed the property value and as much as $500 million more would go for restructuring loans to lower monthly payments. The remaining $2 billion would go for assorted measures, including new loans for low- and moderate-income borrowers in areas that have been hard-hit by the housing crisis and demolition of abandoned homes, the person said. The agreement is to require JPMorgan (JPM) to spend the money by the end of 2016 under the watch of a independent monitor, the person said. The final $13 billion deal is likely to be announced Tuesday, the person said. Another source familiar with the matter said earlier in the day that that announcement could be in the next day or two. Neither sources was authorized to speak on the record about the matter. The total deal is also to include a $2 billion penalty and at least $4 billion for federal housing finance agencies under a previously announced agreement. The fact that the $13 billion deal would include $4 billion for some form of "consumer relief" has been known for weeks. The details of how the $4 billion would be spent were reported earlier Monday by the Wall Street Journal (subscription required).

Best Energy Companies To Own In Right Now: K&S AG (KPLUY)

K&S AG is a Germany-based holding company which is active in the chemical sector. The Company divides its activities into four main business segments. The Potash and Magnesium Products segment is engaged in the crude potash and magnesium salts extraction and in processing raw materials into products for industrial, pharmaceutical, cosmetics and food industries. The Nitrogen Fertilizers business segment distributes fertilizers for almost all agricultural crops, and products for home and garden, plant care and plant protection, specialty fertilizers for public green areas, tree nurseries, horticulture and various special crops are offered. The Salt segment offers food grade salt, industrial salt and salt for chemical use, as well as de-icing salt applied to ensure road safety. The Complementary Business segments include recycling activities and the disposal and reutilization of waste salt mines, granulation of CATASAN, logistics, and trading in different basic chemicals. Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Rich Duprey]

  Yet, Europe's leading potash player K+S (NASDAQOTH: KPLUY  ) just said that, because of the upheaval that's occurred in the market, it was slashing its dividend by 82% for 2013,�reducing the payout ratio to just 11% of adjusted after tax�earnings, a far cry from the miner's usual�ratio of between 40% and 50%. Could this signal a new era of austerity that will ultimately see Potash,�Agrium (NYSE: AGU  ) , and Mosaic (NYSE: MOS  ) �end up whacking their payouts, as well?

Top 5 Up And Coming Companies To Own For 2014: Ishares Xinhua China 25 (FXI)

iShares FTSE/Xinhua China 25 Index Fund (the Fund) seeks investment results that correspond generally to the price and yield performance of the FTSE/Xinhua China 25 Index (the Index). The Index is designed to represent the performance of the largest companies in the China equity market that are available to international investors. The Index consists of Class H and Red Chip shares of 25 of the largest and most liquid Chinese companies. Securities in the Index are weighted based on the total market value of their shares. Each security in the Index is a constituent of the FTSE All-World Index. All of the securities in the Index trade on the Hong Kong Stock Exchange.

The Fund invests in a representative sample of securities included in the Index that collectively has an investment profile similar to the Index. The Fund�� investment advisor is Barclays Global Fund Advisors.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Jeff Reeves]

  So if you want to play China, I advise a broad play via the SPDR S&P China ETF (GXC). It�� reasonably cheap with expenses of 0.59%, or $59 annually for every $10,000 invested. It�� also much more diversified with only three stocks allocated at over 3% of the fund and no pick over 7% allocation. That�� much safer than the more popular iShares FTSE China Large Cap ETF (FXI), whose top five holdings have a massive 40% allocation collectively.

• [By Jim Woods]

  The China exodus can be seen in stocks that makeup China�� benchmark index ETF, the iShares China Large-Cap (FXI), which is down about 10% over the past 12 months. So far in 2014, FXI has fallen more than 6%.

Top 5 Up And Coming Companies To Own For 2014: BofI Holding Inc.(BOFI)

BofI Holding, Inc. operates as the holding company for BofI Federal Bank that provides various consumer and wholesale banking services primarily through the Internet in the United States. It accepts various deposit products, including demand deposit, savings, and certificates of deposit accounts. It also provides loan products, which consist of single family loans, home equity loans, multifamily loans, commercial real estate loans, recreational vehicle and automobile loans, and overdraft lines of credit In addition, the company offers online bill payment, interbank transfer, mobile banking, text message banking, ATM cards or VISA debit cards, and overdraft protection services. It serves approximately 36,000 retail deposit and loan customers across 50 states. BofI Holding, Inc. was incorporated in 1999 and is based in San Diego, California.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By John Maxfield]

  In this day and age of Internet and mobile banking, it's imperative that the nation's traditional banks make progress on these fronts lest competitors like Bank of Internet (NASDAQ: BOFI  ) continue to take market share. Just since 2008, for instance, Bank of Internet has nearly doubled the size of its balance sheet as customers flock to its above-average savings account yields.

• [By Charly Travers]

  2013 was an incredible year for investors, but has this amazing run-up left any climbing room for stocks in 2014? In this video, five of our analysts around Fool HQ answer the question, "What is one stock to watch in 2014?" They discuss�Twitter (NYSE: TWTR  ) ,�Bank of Internet (NASDAQ: BOFI  ) ,�Extendicare (NASDAQOTH: EXETF  ) ,�Potash Corporation (NYSE: POT  ) , and�Intel (NASDAQ: INTC  ) , and why these five stocks could be poised to outperform in 2014, even as the market continues to reach all-time highs.

• [By Chris Hill]

  In this installment of�Investor Beat, our analysts explain why they're watching Green Mountain Coffee Roasters (NASDAQ: GMCR  ) and Bofl Holding (NASDAQ: BOFI  ) .

Top 5 Up And Coming Companies To Own For 2014: PostRock Energy Corporation(PSTR)

PostRock Energy Corporation, an integrated independent energy company, engages in the acquisition, exploration, development, production, and transportation of oil and natural gas in the United States. It operates in two segments, Oil and Gas Production, and Natural Gas Pipelines. The Oil and Gas Production segment primarily focuses on the development of coal bed methane in the Cherokee basin and the Marcellus Shale in Appalachian Basin, as well as has oil properties in Central Oklahoma. As of December 31, 2009, it had approximately 51.9 billion cubic feet equivalent (Bcfe) of estimated net proved reserves; development rights to approximately 516,184 net acres; and operated approximately 2,849 gross wells in the Cherokee Basin. It also had approximately 44,507 net acres of oil and natural gas producing properties with estimated proved reserves of 18.9 Bcfe and approximately 498 gross wells in Appalachian Basin; and had 65 gross wells, development rights to approximately 1,4 80 net acres, and estimated net proved reserves, 3.9 Bcfe in Central Oklahoma. The Natural Gas Pipelines segment involves in transporting, gathering, treating, and processing natural gas. It owns and operates a natural gas gathering pipeline networks of approximately 2,173 miles in the Cherokee Basin and 183 miles in the Appalachian Basin; and a 1,120 mile interstate natural gas pipeline, which transports natural gas from northern Oklahoma and western Kansas to the metropolitan Wichita and Kansas City markets. The company is headquartered in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma.

Advisors' Opinion:

• [By Eric Volkman]

  LeBlanc is a veteran energy industry CFO. He has filled that role at East Resources -- now a unit of Royal Dutch Shell (NYSE: RDS-A  ) -- as well as�PostRock Energy (NASDAQ: PSTR  ) , and Range Resources, among others.